PERL - Before you begin

This tutorial will be covering the PERL syntax and should provide you with a very solid foundation of PERL for you to build upon. It is recommended that before you start walking through our tutorial that you have a general understanding of Web Development as well as some background knowledge of HTML and CSS as our tutorial is directed toward Web programming.

We will be incorporating our PERL scripts with HTML, CSS, and PHP so if you are unfamiliar with any of these languages, it may be a good idea to touch base with the tutorials offered here, or elsewhere for that matter to familiarize yourself with the code we offer.

PERL - Practical Extraction and Report Language

Created in 1987 by Larry Wall, the UNIX based language has evolved into a powerful tool for the internet. It was designed as a quick-fix patch program for UNIX based systems. The language is very simplistic, offering optimum flexibility, perfect for short, straightforward scripting.

Since then its popularity has increased due to its flexibility, portability, usefulness, and its varied features. To get started, load a simple text editor program and follow along in our examples.

PERL - Getting Started

First things first, you go over to perl.org and download the latest version of Perl (currently 5.10) or check that your web host has it installed. We suggest you direct any installation questions or perl problems to the Perl Forum (might want to bookmark this).

This tutorial will be web based, working with and creating files over the internet. File management is the bread and butter of the PERL language, and as you will discover, it's absolutely perfect for doing so.

PERL File Extension

A PERL script can be created inside of any normal simple-text editor program. There are several programs available for every type of platform. There are many programs designed for programmers available for download on the web.

Regardless of the program you choose to use, a PERL file must be saved with a .pl (.PL) file extension in order to be recognized as a functioning PERL script. File names can contain numbers, symbols, and letters but must not contain a space. Use an underscore (_) in places of spaces.